Package opener



Juhr 3, 1956 WERNER ET AL PACKAGE OPENER Filed Dec. 1, 1955 INVENTORSATTORNEYS United States Patent Oflice 2,753,105 Patented July 3, 1956PACKAGE OPENER Luczlo Werner and Frank Werner, Irvington, N. J.

Application December 1, 1953, Serial No. 395,429

3 Claims. (Cl. 229l) This invention relates to permanently installedopening devices particularly adapted for opening packages, such as apackage of cigarettes, and in particular a cutter blade carried byspring arms and positioned whereby pressing the arms together forces theblades through a Wall of a package in which the device is installed.

The purpose of this invention is to facilitate opening a package, suchas a package of cigarettes.

With the conventional cigarette package it is necessary to tear away aportion of one end of the package, preferably at one side and instarting to tear the wrapper the ends of cigarettes are often damaged.With this thought in mind this invention contemplates a cutter bladenested in one side of a package of cigarettes and carried by spring armsin a holder whereby with the holder and spring arms positioned in anedge of a cigarette package the cutter blade may readily be forcedthrough an end of the package by pressing upon the spring arms.

The object of this invention is to provide means for cutting an end of apackage of cigarettes in which the means is incorporated in the packageand is adapted to be operated by pressing on the outer surface thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cutting device, adaptedto be installed in a conventional cigarette package for opening thepackage and in which the device is adapted to be removed after thepackage is opened.

A further object of the invention is to provide a cutter for opening apackage of cigarettes in which the cutter is installed in one end of thepackage and in which the cutter is of a simple and economicalconstruction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionembodies a cutting blade having right angularly disposed sectionsextended from the ends with spring wire arms on the ends of which thecutter is mounted and a U-shaped holder having recesses in the sides andin which the spring wire arms are positioned whereby with the elementsincorporated in one edge of a package of cigarettes the arms may bepressed inwardly to force the cutting blade through one end of thepackage.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawing, wherein:

Figure l is a side elevational view showing the opener in a package ofcigarettes, the package of cigarettes being shown in broken lines.

Figure 2 is a front elevational view of the opener also showing thedevice in a package of cigarettes and also showing the package ofcigarettes in broken lines.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal section through the holder taken on line 33of Fig. 2, the parts being shown on an enlarged scale.

Figure 4 is a section through the holder of the device taken on line4--4 of Fig. 1 illustrating the positions of the parts with the springwire arms pressed inwardly and with the cutter extended from the upperend of the cigarette package, the cigarette package and also a thumb andforefinger of a hand gripping the spring wire arms being shown in brokenlines.

Figure 5 is a detail illustrating the U-shaped holder in which thespring wire arms are positioned.

Figure 6 is a detail illustrating the cutting blade of the device.

Figure 7 is a section through the cutting blade taken on line 77 of Fig.4.

Figure 8 is an end elevational view of the cutter with the parts shownon an enlarged scale.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference characters denotecorresponding parts the improved package opener of this inventionincludes a cutting blade having teeth 11 in an arcuate upper edge withend sections 12 and 13 extended substantially at right angles to theblade 10, spring wire arms connected at one end with a base 14 andhaving intermediate gripping sections 15 and 16, the lower ends of whichare connected to the base 14 with crossed sections 17 and 18 and theupper ends 19 and 20 of the arms being connected to the upper ends ofthe gripping sections 15 and 16 with crossed sections 2.1 and 22,respectively, and a holder, U-shaped in cross section and having sidepanels 23 and 24 connected with an arcuate section 25.

The ends 19 and 20 of the spring wire arms are secured in sockets 26 and27 at the corners of the blade 10 and it will be noted that as thefinger gripping sections 15 and 16 are pressed inwardly from theposition shown in Fig. 2 to the position shown in Fig. 4, the base 14being held, the opposite end on which the cutter blade 10 is positionedwill move upwardly from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that shown inFig. 4 whereby the cutter blade will be forced through the material ofthe package.

The U-shaped holder, which may be formed of paper, plastic, or othersuitable material is formed to receive the spring wire arms and, asillustrated in Fig. 5 the panel 23 is formed with recesses 28 and 29 inthe edges which, with corresponding recesses 30 in the panel 24-, arepositioned to facilitate gripping the sections 15 and 16 of the armswhereby the spring wire arms are adapted to be pressed inwardly, asillustrated in Fig. 4 to force the cutter blade through the upper end ofthe package.

Suitable directions may be provided on the outer surface of the packageto indicate points where pressure is to be applied to open the packageand, after the package is opened, both the holder and spring wire armsmay be removed and discarded.

It will be understood that modifications, within the scope of theappended claims, may be made in the design and arrangement of the partswithout departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A package opener comprising a U-shaped holder having a closed end andan open end, said holder having elongated recesses in the outerlongitudinal edges thereof, a pair of spring arms having intermediatefinger grip ping portions in alignment with the recesses in said holderand a base portion connected with the ends of said spring arms inengagement with the closed end of said holder, a cutter blade attachedto the ends of said spring arms opposite to the ends connected to thebase and said cutter blade adapted to be projected outwardly of the openend of the holder upon compression of said finger gripping portions bymeans of the recesses in the longitudinal edges of said holder.

2. A package opener as in claim 1, wherein said blade has an arcuateedge provided with teeth and end sections extended at substantiallyright angles to the blades and having rearwardly inclined edges alsoprovided with teeth and the ends of said spring arms are connected tothe end sections of said blades.

3. A package opener as in claim 1, wherein said spring arms having afirst set of crossed portions connected at one of their ends with saidfinger gripping portions and at 3 their opposite ends With said cutterblade and a second set of crossed portions connected at one of theirends With said finger gripping portions and at their opposite ends tosaid base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,121,469 Budlong Dec. 15, 1914

